ABSTRACT
Since the late 1940s, regionalism in its many dimensions and organizations has been a significant pattern in world order. Political, security and economic regional organizations are by now established features of international interactions in every corner of the world, although with different levels of intensity and recognition. Regional ventures and experiences are significantly varied, depending on the area of the world, the historical phase and the issues of competence. Europe aside, Latin America is the region of the world where regionalism has the longest tradition as well as the most intense and diverse experimentation. In this sense, Latin America is a perfect lab to study why regionalism emerges, under what specific conjunctures and conditions, and what idea and vision of region is reflected in institutionalized cooperation. The twenty-first century has witnessed significant innovations in Latin American regionalism that challenge traditional answers to these questions.
